An electrician’s view on electric vehicle charging installations: our conversation with David Corbeil.

David Corbeil has considerable experience in the electric vehicle charging industry, working both as an electrician and in developing hardware that simplifies the installation. In 2014, David, alongside co-founder Marie-Pier Corbeil, were the recipients of the First Place Pierre-Péladeau Bursary for their development of DCC, an energy management system that resolves most common charging problems.

David leads DCC and their expansion across the United States, serves as the Treasurer for l’Association des Véhicules Éléctriques du Québec, and is a part of the Directors Board at Electric Mobility Canada.

We sat down with David leading up to MCEE2019.

How would you describe a simple charging installation?

It hasn’t changed from my first installations back in 2013. This is the case where the client lives in a house, their panel has a sufficient electrical capacity, and where the charger doesn’t need to be too far from the electrical panel. We don’t want to go across pavement or concrete. Ideally, it’s mounted onto the house or in the garage.

What makes an installation complex?

An installation where the panel doesn’t have the capacity needed. Back in the day, it meant changing the panel, there wasn’t another option. Or you could install a load miser, but both those routes are still complicated.

So, it’s really the electrical panel that makes the difference?

In a house, absolutely.

What’s the biggest hurdle for owners wanting EV charging?

When I first started, it was the lack of options that kept the existing panel and managed the energy. Sure, changing the panel can be done at a cost, but sometimes it’s just impossible on the utilities side.

Can you share an example?

Sure, let’s say you’re in a duplex in Montreal and to get charging the panel will need to be upgraded to 400A. We go and speak to the utility — HydroQuebec in this case — and they let us know that the power lines in the neighbourhood won’t be able to support the upgrade.

We see this more in urban areas, I know that BC is facing this issue. Same thing with places like Lorraine and Westmount in Quebec.

Have new changes come up since your first installations back in 2013?

We’re starting to see the addition of two EV’s in a household. So, the first “easy” installations are now becoming a bit more complex as there’s no more space on the panel.

There was also a change in regulations, but it’s a bit technical. It’s a change in how to calculate the EV charger. Before when an electrician would be looking at the existing panel infrastructure there was no guideline that told us how to integrate the charger. Now there is.

These new regulations make an electricians job easier.

What’s the best piece of advice that you can give someone when adding charging at home?

Location. It sounds silly, but a lot of time clients don’t really think about it, they don’t have the car yet, or it’s just something they’re not familiar with. It gets irritating quick when your charger is in the wrong spot. We really focus on perfection and giving advice as if it were our own home.